Speedy: I’m hoping to finish the book and post at least a short review next week. But that’s a bit iffy because the novel has 300+ pages, and I have a stack of books that look more interesting.

There’s a reading group guide to “Water for Elephants” at the back of the paperback edition (which should also be posted on the Algonquin site). The guide is extensive but dry and not likely to get anybody excited about the book. So if I do a Totally Unauthorized Reading Group Guide it will deal with questions not covered in that one.

Could I use your real first name on this site? Or should I call you Speedy?

Malcolm: “Maybe it’s all ‘camp'” … Oh, I wish. This is an extensively researched historical novel about a Depression-era traveling circus.